Post by Vio on Feb 21, 2015 10:57:28 GMT -5
"Hold on, is this at all relevant to the capture of Nikolai?" asked Mister Justice, proposing the obvious question as soon as he was able. It made sense that one would question Bai Meifeng's sudden outburst and, with a slight hint of embarrassment upon her porcelain face, she looked at her two comrades. Thoughts were racing through her head, quickly passing her by as she puzzled about the possibilities, but the one that stuck with her was the one she felt she needed to share with the two fellow hunters. She had not pointed out this competition to distract them from their task, but because she believed it may lead them closer to Oleson. A man as cunning as that seemed to always have a plan, whether it be to earn money or to evade capture, and something told her that he had plans. But she could not be sure. Was it worth telling them of her suspicions? Or was it best to keep them to herself, to avoid causing an unnecessary wild goose chase. Eventually, she decided to swallow her pride and inform them.
"I have my suspicions that it may be so, as silly as that sounds." For a moment the white-haired woman paused, sapphire hues narrowing slightly as she collected her thoughts. With every passing second, her mind became more and more focused upon something that would probably not seem very obvious to the average bounty hunter. What reason had a wanted man got of coming to an island that was so heavily fortified? Even if he had managed to sneak inside the walled citadel and take up a hiding place amongst its populace, what did he plan on doing? Every person with a price on their head knew how dangerous it could be to linger in one place for too long, many of them constantly moving from place to place, trying to stay one step ahead of any pursuers; the World Navy or bounty hunters like herself. So what would an intelligent sort of fellow want with an island that was so secure? She believed she had found her answer.
"We assume he came to this kingdom, yes? He was last spotted fleeing towards here and has not been spotted since," Meifeng began to explain, first looking to Erasmus and his spectacular suit, and then giving a fleeting glimpse to Auri. Trust was definitely something that needed to be built between them if they were to work together and, though she was still uncertain of the other woman's intentions, she was going to have to start trying harder. The tension between the three of them was definitely uneven and prickling, but the ever diplomatic noblewoman knew that an alliance was by far the best option, especially if her hunches were correct. So she continued, "Does it not strike the both of you as odd that a man wanted by the law is hiding in a place that is so heavily fortified? It may seem like a good idea at first, but with only one real way in and out of the kingdom, it strikes me as counter intuitive...
"Unless, of course, he came here for reasons other than escaping the law. And I feel there is a high chance he is plotting something to do with this hunting competition," the swordswoman finished, holding out the magazine and displaying its double-page spread to the others for them to see. Hopefully they agreed with her thoughts and ideas, because there was another matter that emerged from the back of her mind. There was a reason why Nikolai Oleson was known as 'The Priest', and with something as big as this going on, it could only mean one thing. He was gathering people for something big and potentially devastating. The sooner they found him and put an end to his plans, the better. That was still an issue, however, but perhaps they could obtain some sort of lead.
"We have no true leads on his whereabouts, so I believe it may be worth taking the gamble. What do you think?" Again she eyed her two companions in this unusual endeavour. First to Auri, and then to Erasmus. What more could they do? There was no trail of bread crumbs to follow. No loose threads to pull at. As far as the lady of the Bai Household could see, this was the only option left to choose, as she desperately hoped it was the right one. There was no way to know what Oleson was planning, and while the seasoned bounty hunter may have been prepared to run headlong into the fray, the young noble did not have the experience or skill to risk such a venture. Indeed, she was a little apprehensive about what she was doing - one's first time was always the most intimidating - but, this was the path she had chosen. She had to start somewhere, and letting uncertainty get the better of her was not going to help anyone. Especially not herself...Not as long as I would have liked, but hopefully we can get rolling a bit faster now. I was thinking we could sign up to a hunt, secure ourselves a position for the competition itself, which would help with out investigation?